OK so January is over so the full scale of the SS level reset can be seen.

For reference i finished the year on levels 5 images and 4 video to give it context and finished January on levels 4/2.


Firstly the earnings graph (actual figures removed due to T&Cs etc etc).
Can see (i) how brutal the reset is and how similar it was to last years as well.  Download numbers also near identical.


Actually seeing an even lower image RPD than last year although video is *slightly* better.

RPD a mere $0.32 per image (2021 average $0.72) and for video $7.35 (2021 average $12.42)

Unexpectedly given the time of year Adobe provided me with a best month ever in earnings and just over double what SS provided.


In short as expected the level reset makes for a fairly horrible January.  Will see what Feb brings as i slowly crawl back up to where i was before.

First of all, I find the reset crap, the communication with us, the 10 cents, etc..- but this is not the issue here, you can do something else or avoid this agency.

I am altogether not such a friend of statistics. That a reset to 15% has no positive influence on the January income is also clear - without any statistics 

The rest of your graph looks very good though, hey in December a Rpd of 90 cent, great.

So why always so negative? (this applies here in principle to the whole forum)

i wonder if people will still post the SS earnings when things looks 10 times worse....In a way it seems like a "dark" pleasure of continuing to post the fall to abyss instead of shutting the account in SS. Its obvious that its not profitable. So why continue SS? i can't understand it.  Anyway best of luck!!

i wonder if people will still post the SS earnings when things looks 10 times worse....In a way it seems like a "dark" pleasure of continuing to post the fall to abyss instead of shutting the account in SS. Its obvious that its not profitable. So why continue SS? i can't understand it.  Anyway best of luck!!

Well said.

The core problem is that you have to wait for the big SODs at shutterstock. When these don�t come in, it is a disaster. Shutterstock has become a microstock lottery.

I don't have that problem with the competitors.

Wilm, the core problem is not shutterstock, but stock photography itself in my opinion 

My core problems are:

123Rf: RPD 21 cent (they do not even seem to have ODs)
Alamy: 1 cent sales to china
Adobe: Few downloads
istock: RPD partly in single digits (iStock is actually my biggest disaster. There you fight through this moronic vocabulary, and then such a lousy result).
Eyeem: zero sales
Mostphotos: zero sales
Deposit: RPD ~ 30 cents (they do not have a lot ODs either)
Dreamstime: High payout limit with low RPD

It's a real mystery to me why the frustration here is directed exclusively at one agency. 

Quote from: Wilm on February 01, 2022, 16:09

The core problem is that you have to wait for the big SODs at shutterstock. When these don�t come in, it is a disaster. Shutterstock has become a microstock lottery.

I don't have that problem with the competitors.

Wilm, the core problem is not shutterstock, but stock photography itself in my opinion 

My core problems are:

123Rf: RPD 21 cent (they do not even seem to have ODs)
Alamy: 1 cent sales to china
Adobe: Few downloads
istock: RPD partly in single digits (iStock is actually my biggest disaster. There you fight through this moronic vocabulary, and then such a lousy result).
Eyeem: zero sales
Mostphotos: zero sales
Deposit: RPD ~ 30 cents (they do not have a lot ODs either)
Dreamstime: High payout limit with low RPD

It's a real mystery to me why the frustration here is directed exclusively at one agency. 

Ralf, yes, the downward trend affects almost all agencies. For me, AS and istock are the only exceptions at the moment. Canstock is also stable, but I don't count them because that is not statistically relevant in my case.

But shutterstock used to be the agency where I took in the most. With a clear gap to the other agencies. Now shutterstock has landed in third place for me - also by a clear margin.

I really don't have a loss of 7/8 with any other agency between the best and the worst month. That is really extreme.

Thank the gods and free spirits there are still a few decent agencies left. For how much time who knows.

I'm curious to know which sites you'd include in the "decent agencies" category. Care to share your list?

Quote from: RalfLiebhold on February 01, 2022, 16:56

It's a real mystery to me why the frustration here is directed exclusively at one agency. 

I don't think it's much of a mystery at all.

SS is just the latest in a string of sites that has begun seriously screwing its contributors. That's why it's at the top of everyone's mind right now. Others took plenty of heat in previous years too. You just weren't here for those "conversations."

Thanks Martha, in conjunction with Wilm's previous explanation I now better understand the general frustration. 

I got $0.16 in average per photo in January. I never had so few sales apart from 5 years ago when I had a lot less images. I have never gotten so little money apart from in the first 5 months.

Quote from: RalfLiebhold on February 01, 2022, 16:56

It's a real mystery to me why the frustration here is directed exclusively at one agency. 

I don't think it's much of a mystery at all.

SS is just the latest in a string of sites that has begun seriously screwing its contributors. That's why it's at the top of everyone's mind right now. Others took plenty of heat in previous years too. You just weren't here for those "conversations."

And SS being the last one to fall, was more important as more people depended on that last Microstock agency standing. When iStock assassinated earnings, reduced us to 15% - forever, made the minimum payment for a download 2 cents, and instituted "Connect" sales and licenses, people were in an uproar. Many left. As one by one, others followed Getty and iStock, there were minor uprisings but those other small agencies were not as important as SS.

How many people are getting terribly angry of missing out on $5 a month on Canstock? GL stock came and went, after being a fan favorite, and the guy did a rug pull, left without paying. The anger and outrage was fairly minimal, because who cared? The earnings were minimal.

But when the biggest earning agency, the one that the most people still depended on, stabbed us in the back, of course it's going to hurt and people are going to be bitter for a long time.

Even Alamy cutting many if not most people to 20% coming up in June, from 60 to 50 and then 40% was tolerable. I don't see some coalition forming? No web protest on Twitter or Facebook. No angry throng of never ending posts about how terrible they are. Why not?

My answer is, more people actually cared about SS at their top earning site. That's why it stings so bad and so many are still offended and angry.

Yes, you're right, they were the latest of the big ones to go with, "If you don't like it, you can leave."

We have now become willing victims and forced into the choice or leave the situation that's no good, or continue to take the abusive treatment. Neither is a good solution. Lose the money or take the abuse?

Quote from: RalfLiebhold on February 01, 2022, 16:56

Quote from: Wilm on February 01, 2022, 16:09

The core problem is that you have to wait for the big SODs at shutterstock. When these don�t come in, it is a disaster. Shutterstock has become a microstock lottery.

I don't have that problem with the competitors.

Wilm, the core problem is not shutterstock, but stock photography itself in my opinion 

My core problems are:

123Rf: RPD 21 cent (they do not even seem to have ODs)
Alamy: 1 cent sales to china
Adobe: Few downloads
istock: RPD partly in single digits (iStock is actually my biggest disaster. There you fight through this moronic vocabulary, and then such a lousy result).
Eyeem: zero sales
Mostphotos: zero sales
Deposit: RPD ~ 30 cents (they do not have a lot ODs either)
Dreamstime: High payout limit with low RPD

It's a real mystery to me why the frustration here is directed exclusively at one agency. 

Ralf, yes, the downward trend affects almost all agencies. For me, AS and istock are the only exceptions at the moment. Canstock is also stable, but I don't count them because that is not statistically relevant in my case.

But shutterstock used to be the agency where I took in the most. With a clear gap to the other agencies. Now shutterstock has landed in third place for me - also by a clear margin.

I really don't have a loss of 7/8 with any other agency between the best and the worst month. That is really extreme.

How many images do you have on SS Wilm?How long have you been with them?

Quote from: Diana Herrmann on February 02, 2022, 21:05

Quote from: Wilm on February 01, 2022, 17:18

Quote from: RalfLiebhold on February 01, 2022, 16:56

Quote from: Wilm on February 01, 2022, 16:09

The core problem is that you have to wait for the big SODs at shutterstock. When these don�t come in, it is a disaster. Shutterstock has become a microstock lottery.

I don't have that problem with the competitors.

Wilm, the core problem is not shutterstock, but stock photography itself in my opinion 

My core problems are:

123Rf: RPD 21 cent (they do not even seem to have ODs)
Alamy: 1 cent sales to china
Adobe: Few downloads
istock: RPD partly in single digits (iStock is actually my biggest disaster. There you fight through this moronic vocabulary, and then such a lousy result).
Eyeem: zero sales
Mostphotos: zero sales
Deposit: RPD ~ 30 cents (they do not have a lot ODs either)
Dreamstime: High payout limit with low RPD

It's a real mystery to me why the frustration here is directed exclusively at one agency. 

Ralf, yes, the downward trend affects almost all agencies. For me, AS and istock are the only exceptions at the moment. Canstock is also stable, but I don't count them because that is not statistically relevant in my case.

But shutterstock used to be the agency where I took in the most. With a clear gap to the other agencies. Now shutterstock has landed in third place for me - also by a clear margin.

I really don't have a loss of 7/8 with any other agency between the best and the worst month. That is really extreme.

How many images do you have on SS Wilm?How long have you been with them?

I started there on 9 November 2010 with 220 images. In the meantime I have 1300 images on shutterstock.

I have the most images on Adobe Stock (1450) and the fewest on istock (770).

So I am a small contributor.

I am also I was wondering about your stats and numbers because your best selling was very high. I don't have ODs or big numbers just subs.